Maya's Dream
by Caseorogue
Summary: An expansion and rewrite of Miss Toriumi's arc (the Hermit social link) from Persona 3. Toriumi x Protagonist.
1. Chapter 1: Maya

Isako Toriumi stood behind the podium in front of her morning composition class, shuffling through her course plan with dissatisfaction written across her features. What was the administration trying to accomplish, structuring things like this? She sighed quietly to herself before glancing up at the assembled students before her, who had begun to talk amongst themselves during the brief lull in their instructor's lecture.

"Quiet down, students. We're not done here just yet." She announced firmly, and her voice briefly reverberated back to her as the rest of the chatter echoing around the classroom quickly faded into attentive (or in some cases, distracted or sleepy) silence. Her eyes scanned the rows of her pupils, searching for wandering gazes or drooping heads, and stopped when she caught sight of one of her more troublesome students staring off into space.

Junpei Iori was the typical class clown: unmotivated, awkward and far too easily distracted from his class work. Toriumi was not surprised to find him once again not paying attention, and she stared him down as she called out his name. "Junpei Iori!" The lanky young man snapped to attention with obvious distress on his face.

"Y-yes, miss Toriumi?" He replied sheepishly as he turned to face her, most of the rest of the class watching him with knowing smiles or disappointed frowns. Toriumi sighed inwardly once again as Iori was put on the spot for the umpteenth time, and she was depressingly certain it wouldn't be the last. A small part of her wanted to give up on challenging him - he was never going to pay attention in her class, especially as long as he could depend on-

"Give me an example of proper semicolon usage, mister Iori," she spoke her instructions even as her eyes trailed sideways to the source of her doubts. One seat over from Iori, another young man with blue-black hair leaned slightly closer to his troublesome classmate and said something too quiet for her to hear. Junpei's nerves visibly seemed to disappear as he stood up with a confident smile, striding over to the whiteboard and quickly scribbling " _I was too late; it's over now."_ on it in black marker. Just as quickly he returned to his seat, while Toriumi looked back and forth between him and the board with a distasteful look on her face. "That is correct…" she admitted reluctantly, and with that Junpei went right back to relaxing and staring into space.

Toriumi's eyes briefly returned to the boy with blue-black hair who'd advised Iori of the correct answer. He was staring at his textbook intently, a notebook open next to it filled with scrawled notes. This enigmatic figure, Minato Arisato, had transferred into Gekkoukan High just a few months ago, and quickly became a star student. Much to her chagrin, he seemed to bond with Junpei just as quickly, and since then he'd been feeding his friend the answers to every question he was asked. Toriumi frowned as she again considered reproaching him, but… she felt her cheeks heat a little as she continued to sneak glances at him during her lecture. Something about him made her want his attention. He was aloof, intelligent, and, she had to admit (with some embarrassment), very good-looking. Every time she thought of criticizing him, the thought of how he might react made her stop. It was a conflict of interest that concerned her often, and at the end of the day she was flustered and eager to be home, where she could relax and forget her worries for awhile.

She pulled into her driveway as the sun was setting, having spent more time than she'd have liked arguing with her senior in the writing and composition division, Mr. Ekoda. Unpleasant thoughts about the older man swirled around her mind as she unlocked her front door and stepped inside, immediately removing her shoes and unbuttoning her stuffy brown jacket, resisting the urge to toss it aside long enough to set it down on the back of a nearby chair. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the light, washing the makeup off her face before looking up to stare at herself in the mirror, her carefully-maintained brown hair beginning to fall in her face. Her features were just barely on the young side of adult, and she could tell they wouldn't last for much longer. A frown crossed her face as she briefly wondered what Minato would think if he saw her like this, before she quickly shook herself from that line of thought. _He's a student. Stop thinking like that._ She scolded herself mentally as she passed through her living room and into the kitchen, quickly grabbing a blue bottle from the pantry and pouring herself a drink before returning to the living room and taking a seat on her couch, relaxing as she slowly sipped from her glass.

Boredom soon settled on her, a frustratingly familiar malaise that had all too often led her to do foolish things when she was a little younger. Her eyes drifted around the room before settling on her laptop, resting on the table nearby. It had become something of a companion to her in the last few years - while initially she'd only used it to work from home, she had soon after discovered online gaming, an embarrassing fact she made a point of keeping secret from her peers. The anonymity and the endless potential for escape appealed to her in a way few things did these days, and with only a little disappointment in herself she rose and turned it on, taking a seat at the table as it booted up. She glanced over the array of icons on her desktop for a moment before clicking one labeled "ISO".

Innocent Sin Online was an MMO she'd picked up just over a year ago, set in post-apocalyptic Japan and focused on killing mutants and magical constructs to advance. While it was initially quite popular, its userbase had since dwindled considerably, and when she logged in her character was quite alone in the wastelands. She spent an hour and a half wandering around, fighting random monstrosities and occasionally crossing paths with other players, most of whom seemed to be busy or too distracted to talk. Eventually, as she felt her boredom catching up on her, she logged out with an exasperated sigh. She stared at the game's start screen as she ruminated on its decline, and seriously considered quitting once and for all; however, a voice in the back of her head quickly chimed in to remind her - _Tomorrow's Sunday. No_ _classes to teach. Without this you'll have nothing to do with yourself._

She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation as she struggled for a middle ground. Her fingers rapped out a rhythm against the table as she struck upon an idea, though it was not a new one, and she knew it would likely only keep her occupied for tomorrow. Still, it was enough, and she moved her cursor over to a button on the game screen labeled "new character". She spent several minutes designing her appearance, opting for a beautiful young woman with dark hair and a grey reporter's suit. She hesitated when it came time to give herself a name, however, and ultimately ended up giving herself a placeholder, to be changed once she left the tutorial area in Lunarvale hospital. As she clicked "create" and the game loaded the hospital, a yawn escaped her, and with a glance at the clock she realized it was nearing midnight. Her new character created, she decided she'd done enough for the night, and quickly signed out, shutting down her laptop afterwards. As she made her way to her bedroom, she idly made plans to unsubscribe from Innocent Sin Online after this weekend was over. It clearly had nothing left to offer her...


	2. Chapter 2: Tatsuya

Minato had nightmares again that night.

In his dreams, his friends were struck down by horrific, shadowy creatures, each one more misshapen and vicious than the last. As their bodies hit the floor, his fallen allies transformed into cold metal caskets that glowed with an eerie red light. Soon he was the only one left. He looked around for an avenue of escape as the shadows closed in on him, and realized he was surrounded on all sides by hundreds more of the ominously-glowing coffins, seeming to press in on him like the jaws of a great beast. He turned back to the shadows just in time to watch them coalesce into one great, formless mass and surge toward him, and he screamed…

Minato snapped awake with cold sweat on his face, the covers of his bed a mess after his thrashing in the night. He rolled over and immediately had to squint as sunlight hit his eyes, filtering in from the window above his desk. "It was just another dream…" he muttered with relief as he wiped some of the sweat off his forehead, sitting up on the edge of his bed soon after. He groaned involuntarily as various sore parts of his body began to ache in protest at the prospect of movement, and he sighed as he took a moment to reflect and let the aching fade.

Minato's life had been turned upside-down since he first arrived at Gekkoukan High School. Through a surreal series of events, he had been awakened to the existence of the Dark Hour - a strange event that occurred every night at midnight, suspending time and trapping ordinary people insensate in coffins until it ended. The worst part, however, was the Shadows - dark, aggressive creatures of unfathomable origin that appeared en masse during the dark hour. They were no threat to the average human, trapped as they would be in their coffin, but a steadily increasing number of people were gaining a similar ability to his, staying aware and unshackled during the dark hour. These people would all too often be preyed upon by the shadows, and left a living husk, mindless and empty.

On top of this, however, Minato had discovered he was even more remarkable for his ability to summon weapons, nicknamed "Personas", which could fight the shadows. He had banded together with (or, more accurately, been roped in by) a group of students from Gekkoukan with similar powers, and together they had been fighting off the shadows whenever they seemed to grow too numerous. This task left its toll on Minato and his friends, however. Constant injury, late nights and untold mental stress often left them weary in the days following an "operation", and after last night's fighting, Minato almost wanted to spend the entire Sunday in bed.

He knew better than to waste a day off in total idleness, however, and luckily enough an opportunity for compromise between entertainment and laziness had appeared to him recently. He glanced to his desk, where next to his laptop rested a red CD case with "ISO" printed in black marker on the front, and smiled, getting up and heading downstairs for breakfast.

Just under an hour later he found himself seated at his desk, inserting the CD into his laptop as questions filled his mind. The game had been a hand-me-down gift from Junpei, a precocious friend and a reliable ally in his fight against the shadows, and he had to wonder just what kind of game would have caught his goofy classmate's attention. He considered the game's name - "Innocent Sin Online" - and briefly wondered with some discomfort if Junpei had given him something more risqué than what he'd guessed at first. These worries swirled around in his head as the game installed, and when it was done, he clicked the new icon on his desktop with only a little trepidation. The screen went dark just before the game launched into a cinematic panning over a ruined cityscape, before jumping to what looked like an old-fashioned e-mail interface with a message displayed:

Spring, the year 20XX

From: "Phil"

Reality is just a series of events and players acting out what they believe is real. When we accept that fact, our world becomes "reality". Reality is but a reflection of our thoughts and expectations.

...But, what if we were merely reflections in another's mirror?

...Are you prepared to look through that mirror to discover the truth?

The message faded away to the game's home screen, and Minato was left frowning in confusion as he tried to understand what it was meant to convey. He shook his head at the game's melodramatics, sighed, and clicked the "new character" button. It didn't take long for him to decide upon a design; he wasn't too terribly interested in what he'd look like, and he ended up settling on a young man in a dark blue hoodie with short, brown hair. "Loading" displayed on the screen, and moments later his newly-created avatar appeared in what looked like a run-down building. "Lunarvale Hospital" flashed across the center of the screen in large, white letters before fading out. Before he could do anything else, a ping sound caught his attention, and a message appeared in the game's chat log - "There are 1 player(s) in the area.". He quickly looked around, and caught sight of a girl in a grey suit with dark hair standing by a hole in the wall. She seemed to have been waiting for him to notice her, and almost immediately afterwards a new message arrived for him.

"Sup? xD a/s/l?" Minato scratched his head as he read the remarkably brief message, the casual tone of which contrasted heavily with the serious-looking avatar it came from. A little baffled, his keyboard clacked as his fingers went to work responding.

"Uh, what?" he asked.

"R u a newbie?" she replied.

"I guess…"

"Ahhh, that xplains it! I was wonderin y u hadnt named ur char yet…" The dark-haired character made a welcoming gesture to accompany the message, before she continued. "Welcome 2 the game! U got lucky i was here, im a pro at this so i can teach u lots." She paused for a long moment before adding, "Not many ppls play this game anymore… :(" Minato frowned as he considered the girl's welcome, somewhat disconcerted by her way of typing, but ultimately happy to have found a friendly face so quickly. He decided to play along.

"What's your name?" he asked her, unable to see an indication of it anywhere. He frowned as he realized he hadn't picked one for himself at any point, either. "Do I have a name…?"

"Haha, nope! xD I dont have 1 either. This game lets u go without a name until the end of the tut, so weve got until were done with the hospital to figure it out! :P" the girl replied cheerily.

"I guess we'll figure it out, then…" Minato replied. "Care to teach me the basics?"

"With pleasure! xP"

With that, the two began venturing through the abandoned hospital, working their way past a number of obstacles and through maze-like corridors that she seemed to know by heart. By the time they reached a more open part of the hospital, Minato was wondering just how often the girl must have played this game; However, his contemplation was broken when his character suddenly came under attack by what looked like a zombie. Minato panicked and tried to retreat, but the zombie struck his character in the back, dealing him a critical hit and knocking him to the ground. He cursed his tactical misstep as the monster drew closer - only for it to suddenly explode into particles of light as a shot pierced it from behind. The girl was standing behind it with a glowing light in the shape of a gun in her hand, and it disappeared soon after as the particles that had once formed the zombie faded away. "O man, he almost got u good!" The tension quickly went out of the situation as her message appeared in the chat, and Minato ended up laughing for a moment as his character stood up again.

"Thanks. You saved me!" He said, half-teasing as he walked his character over to hers.

"Lol dont worry, it was no biggie." she replied as she began to lead the way once more. She gradually instructed him in the basics of combat, and by the time they reached the entrance of the hospital, he was dispatching zombies and giant spiders with little difficulty.

"This is actually pretty fun." he said, as he moved to step out the doors. Suddenly an error appeared on the screen, and his character was pushed back.

 _You must choose a name before you venture forth._

He realized the girl was watching him, and he could guess she was amused.

"Have u thought of a name?" she asked, her avatar smiling.

"I forgot…" Minato admitted. He hadn't thought of one.

"Its ok! I thought of names for us both while u were gettin almost killed by zombies xD" she teased, and for a moment he felt a flash of irrational embarrassment.

"And what names would those be?" He asked, glad that she couldn't see his pout through the computer screen.

"Im Maya, and ur Tatsuya! :D" she replied as her character made an excited-looking gesture. Minato frowned.

"Is that a reference or something?" At the question her gesturing stopped, and he got the sense she was disappointed… or relieved.

"O, u prolly wouldnt know. Theyre good names n thats all that matters! ;^^" Minato was a little skeptical, but shrugged and decided not to pry. She quickly instructed him on how to change his name, and a minute later, Maya and Tatsuya left Lunarvale hospital together.


	3. Chapter 3: Stress

Toriumi decided not to unsubscribe from Innocent Sin Online.

She and "Tatsuya" had spent the rest of the day adventuring through the wastelands, with her teaching him the ropes every step of the way. By the time they'd parted ways, he was clearly coming into his own as a player, and she felt a swell of pride that made her briefly question her priorities. Embarrassment at her own hobbies aside, it had been the first time she'd felt like she was having fun - real, genuine excitement - in a long time. Maybe Tatsuya would disappear soon and she'd go back to her normal, boring routine again after, but… until then, she would relish the opportunity to enjoy herself with good company.

Composition class went smoothly. The class as a whole appeared more focused than usual, likely because Minato - who seemed to be popular with _everyone_ , was in a particularly bright mood. In turn, she felt her confidence growing and tore through the material with vigor. "Minato!" She called, pointing to the blue-black haired young man who grinned back at her. He stood with a nod.

"Yes, Miss Toriumi?" he asked calmly.

Toriumi forced herself not to blush or stutter as she replied. "Can you begin a sentence with a conjunction?"

Minato's smile widened. "Yes, you can. But it's a common misconception that you can't."

Toriumi relaxed and smiled as she nodded. "Clever. That's correct, Minato. You can sit down again." Minato nodded back to her as he took his seat. Toriumi looked back at her coursebook, frowning as she recognized the section they were to cover next. "Look, this next section isn't very helpful… and it's also leading into assigning you _Catcher in the Rye_ , which I hate teaching. The messages are all wrong for what you're supposed to be learning right now..." She looked at the assembled students, who didn't seem like they particularly cared about her teaching preferences, and briefly grit her teeth in frustration. "We're reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_ instead." She gave the disinterested students a glare. "Don't tell anyone." She paused, taking the continued silence as tacit approval. "Good! On with the lesson…"

Her gaming sessions with Tatsuya continued, though each was brief and the timing was sporadic, considering most nights she would have classes to teach the next day, and some nights Tatsuya wouldn't show up at all. The more she indulged, the easier the rest of her life became. She'd become a teacher eight years ago because it had been her passion since she was a child… it had propelled her through high school and college, eclipsing all else, from hobbies to travel to romance. After all of the things she'd sacrificed to get to where she was, was it really wrong to need a break every now and again? These thoughts fueled her, and for a few blissful days the weight of the world was off her shoulders.

Her escape was not long-lived. Saturday brought an unpleasant surprise as Mr. Ekoda called on her to give her a vicious chewing-out. Someone told on her, apparently.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Toriumi? Your students feed into my class. If they come in with the wrong experience, with your foolish ideas about writing and literature… they're hopeless!" He barked with a stern glare at her.

"Come on, Ekoda. This is childish. A good teacher can teach students with _any_ classical literature. Your narrow-mindedness is costing students a diverse learning experience." She retorted, glaring right back at him.

"Are you calling me a bad teacher, Toriumi?" Ekoda snorted derisively. "Teach the material I give you or I'll take it up with the principal. You know he sees things my way." He offered her a condescending smile. "Honestly, you haven't been teaching nearly long enough to know what's best for your students."

The argument went on like that, and in the end, as always, Ekoda ended up abusing his seniority to get his way, leaving Toriumi fuming and exhausted as she had to change her teaching plans again. Come Saturday evening she still had work to do over her free day on Sunday, and when she returned home she immediately collapsed on her couch with an exhausted sigh. She rested there, thinking about work, about life, about games. She thought about Tatsuya and about Minato. Then she thought about possibly getting some work done, and decided she'd rather turn in early tonight.

She woke up early on Sunday morning, refreshed but still not interested in getting her work done. She forced herself to get up and get some coffee and breakfast, grabbing her laptop on the way, and set about working on her new lesson plan. It ate up much of the morning, but she made a considerable dent in it before the phone rang, distracting her from her task. Irritation crossed her mind as she rose to answer it. "Hello. Toriumi residence."

"I know who this is, Isako. Goodness knows I have to call you enough that I'm not going to forget your number." A female voice, older than hers, replied, and immediately Toriumi felt the wind go out of her sails.

"Hello, mother… what are you calling about this time?" She said, forcing herself to keep her tone polite.

"Well, you see, I know you're still single, so I found this wonderful man for you to date. He's a manager! Very handsome, very rich! When would you like to meet?"

Toriumi covered her face with her palm as she let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not dating another of your 'finds', Mom. You know I'm not interested."

The voice on the other end of the phone was incensed. "Ungrateful brat! I give you so many opportunities and you continue to let them all fly by!"

"Mom…"

"Shut up! You wasted your looks, and now you're wasting my time. You're never going to be a proper woman at this rate. Rethink your actions. I'll call again soon." With that, her mother hung up, and Toriumi followed suit soon after, shaking with anger and upset. Why call now? As if she needed the extra stress on top of everything else...

 _Why does everyone expect something of me? Why can't I live my life by my own standards? All I wanted was to be a teacher…_

She growled as she went to the pantry, reaching for the blue bottle. As she lifted it she noticed by its weight that it was nearing empty. She stared at the remaining liquid sloshing around the bottom of the bottle for a moment, seeming to contemplate, before lifting the opening to her lips and chugging it down.

Thirty minutes later Toriumi was in the living room with her laptop again, her vision swaying slightly while her fingers occasionally stumbled against the keys. She opened her messaging application and pinged "Tatsuya".

"Hey r u on?"

A minute and a half went by. A reply. "Yeah. Did you want to hang out?"

"Yes plsssss"

She logged onto Innocent Sin Online, her character, Maya, sitting by the exterior doors of Lunarvale Hospital, the meeting point they'd come to agree upon over the last few sessions. Another minute went by before a notification appeared in her chatlog - "There are 1 player(s) in the area."

"Tatsuyaaaa! :3" Maya cried out excitedly as she ran over to where her friend had suddenly appeared outside the hospital doors. "Lets play ok?~"

Tatsuya smiled and nodded at her, and they set off to hunt down more mutant zombie bears in the wastelands behind the shopping mall. Maya managed to distract herself with this for awhile, joking and teasing with Tatsuya, but soon she had to stop as she felt her interest starting to wane with the latest batch of kills.

"Tatsuya… cn we taek a break? :\" She asked as she sat down on a dusty curb.

"Sure… are you alright?" He said as he joined her on the curb, giving her a concerned look.

"Tatsuya… do u ever have troubels in ur life?" She asked quietly.

Tatsuya seemed to think for a moment before responding. "Yeah. My job is really, really hard. I get hurt all the time and I'm always worried I won't be able to take care of my friends." He looked at her quizzically. "Why?"

Maya's eyes widened, and she suddenly felt very small at his reply. "Omg Tatsu… D: I didtn realize u had so much on ur plate!" She looked at the ground dejectedly. "An here i am about 2 complain about my dum job…"

She blinked in confusion as she suddenly felt Tatsuya's hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about me. Playing this game with you has really become a great way for me to take a break from all that." As she looked up at him, she saw he was smiling sincerely down at her. "If you feel like you need to vent, the least I can do is repay the favor."

Maya felt her eyes watering a little, and she looked away from him. "If ur sure…" She heaved a sigh. "My job has really been stressing me. My supeirors r always giving me a hard time and its making it hard 4 me 2 care about it…"

Tatsuya nodded understandingly. "Tell me about it."

Maya felt a little better as she nodded and continued. Getting it out to someone, anyone, meant she wasn't alone in all this anymore. "My senior, Mr. E… he hates me. Thinks im a bad teachr. Anytiem I try 2 do things my wai he always forces me not 2… :(" She blinks, then blushes as she realizes what she's admitted to. "Shit… I guess u know my job nao. ;^^"

Tatsuya paused for a moment, and though he tried to hide it, she could tell he was surprised. "Well…to hell with him, then. You should be able to do what you want. That's the only way people can be happy!" He replied after a long moment, clearly trying to encourage her.

"Those r pretty sappy words, tatsuya…" Maya teased. "But I apprecate u sayin them neways. :P" She stared up at the simulated moon above them. "1 other thing?"

Tatsuya seemed to have recovered from his surprise. "Hm?"

"Do u have a girlfriend, tatsuya?" she asked quietly, her cheeks a little red.

"...No, I don't." he replied just as quietly.

"Me neither. An be4 u say anything, no boyfriends either. Im single and LOVING IT!" she shouted the last two words, as if daring someone to challenge her feelings on the matter.

"I get the impression something's wrong again…" Tatsuya chimed in, looking a little concerned.

Maya shook her head. "My moms always on ym back about getting a boyfrined or getting married… I wont let her push me tho, ill find that wen im redy. ;)" She laughed, a little bit of cynicism behind the gesture. "Im drunk 2nite becuz of her. Sorry im such bad company…" she trailed off, teasing but clearly a little sad beneath it.

"I can think of much worse company to have." Tatsuya joked, and with that some of the tension seemed to break.

Maya rose to her feet, looking down at Tatsuya. "Cmon… we gotta keep levellin… the fate of teh world depends on us!" She said, puffing her chest out in what she imagined was a heroic fashion.

Tatsuya chuckled at the sight and slowly rose to stand next to her. "Let's be off then, Maya. We've got a long journey left ahead of us."

A few hours later Toriumi was lying in her bed, reminiscing about the evening. She had never been able to talk about these things with anyone else before. Though she hadn't realized it, she'd been alone in a storm of stress and expectations for more than a year, and Tatsuya had slowly begun to pull her out of it. Her heart fluttered in her chest for a moment as she considered that name. _Tatsuya_. She felt her cheeks heat as she rolled onto her side to stare at the wall, her thoughts still muddled by her drink. Was it the alcohol, or was she starting to feel _that_ way towards her chivalrous online friend? The only other person who'd had this effect on her lately was Minato…

 _Great. A teenager and a guy who's probably miles and miles away from me… I have the_ _ **best**_ _taste in men._

Toriumi fell asleep with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4: Plans

Minato felt like he was starting to come out of his shell for the first time since he'd arrived at Gekkoukan and had the truth revealed to him. He'd already been alone coming to a new school, but to have this burden dropped on his shoulders right away… suffice to say, he'd become withdrawn and decidedly antisocial in his first few months at his new school. The only thing that had been keeping him afloat was the fact that his Personas would be strengthened by the number and quality of his friendships - a curious interaction that had nonetheless forced him not to shun social interaction altogether as he brooded on his new, difficult place in life.

Truth be told, even in this withdrawn state, his looks and a little natural charm had made him quite popular even without much interest on his part. It often left him with a bad taste in his mouth - like he was exploiting people's trust for power. In a sense, that was exactly what he had been doing. He wasn't sure how he'd feel about that if it hadn't likely saved his life as the shadows appearing each dark hour continued to grow stronger.

Recent weeks had been a sudden and unexpected relief. His slowly-growing bond with Maya had been the first one in a while to feel natural to him - perhaps in part because it separated him from his looks, which he suspected would always skew people's perceptions of him. Since getting to know the excitable gamer girl, some of his passion for life seemed to be emerging from its dormancy that had been spurred on by the shadows. Regardless of why he'd gotten to know her, she'd quickly found a comfortable place in his heart.

The people around him seemed to notice. Whether he'd befriended them for good reasons or not, he'd been getting along with others better since. He'd even started to notice girls again. For the moment, however, these interests remained secondary. Only two things could still truly hold his focus - the dark hour, and Maya.

Minato listened intently to Miss Toriumi as she gave her usual morning lecture a few days later. After the events of that Sunday, he'd been feeling upbeat and generous, and he'd made a point of paying it forward to those who knew him. So it was that when the lecture ended, he approached the podium where his teacher seemed to be taking notes on the status of the class. "Miss Toriumi?"

His composition teacher looked up and met his eyes after a moment. He wasn't sure if she seemed flustered or just tired. "Yes, Minato?"

Minato smiled as he held up a paper bag, from which he withdrew a slice of cake wrapped in plastic. He set it on the edge of her podium, and her eyes momentarily widened in surprise. "I got you this. You're always mentioning how much you love cake, and that you wish your students would bring you some…"

Toriumi hesitated for a long moment before replying, a smile of her own slowly spreading across her face. "Thank you, Minato… what exactly brought this on, though? I hope it's not the exam next week."

Minato's smile turned a little sheepish as he replied, "It's mostly because you're a passionate teacher." She looked skeptical, and he hurried to continue. "Seriously. There are good teachers and bad teachers here, but of all of them you seem to care the most. I appreciate that." After a moment he added, "...and, you know, it never _hurts_ to score some brownie points before an exam…" he winked.

He wasn't sure if the blush he saw on her cheeks was real or imagined, but it was definitely cute. "Well, thank you, Minato. I'll be sure to savor it…" It wasn't going away. Definitely real.

He offered her another smile and a wave as he turned to leave. "Have a nice weekend, miss Toriumi."

He hurried home. That night would be a full moon, when the shadows always seemed to be at their most vicious. He gathered with his friends at the dorm, and they struck out as the dark hour dawned.

Sunday came, and it found Minato battered and bruised again. He awoke to sore muscles all over, and hauled himself out of bed. _It never gets much easier…_ he thought to himself as he went downstairs for breakfast.

Junpei was the only other one in the lounge when he got there, and he looked just as exhausted and uncomfortable. "Hey, you survived!" He joked, and Minato offered him a small smile in return.

"Thank goodness we get a day off right after that mess…" Minato said with a sigh.

"I'd rather _not_ be in pain on one of my few days off, personally." Junpei retorted, looking restless. "Have you ever noticed how the shadows always give us trouble right before a test? I smell a conspiracy…"

The rest of the morning passed by quickly, and Minato returned to his room to find the messaging client flashing on his computer's screen. He quickly got comfortable and read the message, from Maya as usual.

"Tatsuyaaaa! Wher r u?" She'd sent him a few messages before that, dated an hour ago at the earliest.

"Oh, no. Did I keep you waiting? I'm sorry, Maya." He offered apologetically.

"THERE u r! Gosh, wat were u doin? :P"

"I had a busy morning. I'm free now, though."

"Get oooon, then! ^^"

Minato chuckled at the girl's never-ending enthusiasm as he logged into Innocent Sin Online and his character, Tatsuya. As usual, Maya was there before him, waiting by the doors to Lunarvale hospital. "Ready to go?" He asked her, excited for the chance to unwind. Maya smiled and nodded at him, and they set off.

It quickly became apparent to him that Maya was distracted. He'd gotten into the habit of asking her lots of questions, sometimes about the game but mostly about herself. Minato found that he was intensely curious about who and what kind of person Maya was, and he felt a little surge of excitement every time she opened up to him a little more. Today, however, she was relatively quiet, offering short answers to his questions that didn't tell him much. Eventually, he pulled her aside as they were searching for a new area to level in, stopping them by a cave opening that likely led somewhere diabolical. "Maya… are you okay?"

Maya smiled at Tatsuya again for a moment before the expression slowly faded, and she sat down, staring into the darkness of the cave. "No, I guess I'm not," she admitted.

Something about her answer threw him off, and he sat beside her, perplexed. "What's wrong?"

"Tatsuya… I'm having romantic troubles." She admitted.

It hit him then. She was typing properly. She hadn't done that before, even during serious moments. Why now? "You can talk to me about it."

She looked at him again, and he got the impression she was both uncomfortable speaking up and at the same time, very badly wanted to voice her thoughts. Finally she sighed, and looked away again. "I'm falling for someone I don't think I can have." she said with a wistful sigh.

Minato's heart skipped a beat. He wondered for a long moment if it was him. The prospect was exciting, he realized. His nerves quickly followed that revelation, however, and he couldn't quite bring himself to ask her that directly. "Who is it?"

She glanced his way, frowning, and he felt his heart sink. "I'm not sure it's ok to talk about it."

Minato sighed, feeling a bit like he had when he'd first gotten to Gekkoukan again. "Maya, please…"

She was quiet for awhile before she responded. "...he's a student."

Minato was surprised to realize he cared less about the potential age difference than he did about the surge of jealousy that ran through him. "Your student?"

It almost seemed like she could sense his pain, and she looked terribly sorry and ashamed as she continued. "Yes. I teach his composition class and his homeroom."

He was about to say something disapproving or angry or sad, but something about what she said gave him pause. Composition. Homeroom. "What's his name?"

She looked at him, eyes wide. "Tatsuya… I can't…" she seemed surprised at the question.

Minato pressed it. He needed to know, even if it was unlikely… "Come on, Maya… it's never going to get back to you. What are the chances we've ever even been in the same region?"

Another long silence stretched between them before she spoke again. "Arisato. His name is Minato Arisato." With that, she seemed to resign herself to never meeting her friend Tatsuya. It was too dangerous now that he knew.

Minato reeled, privy to a perspective she didn't have. She _did_ love him. She just didn't know it. He wanted to tell her what he knew now - who he knew she must be, and who he was - but as he considered, he realized that now was not the best time. If he was right, she'd accidentally just confessed to him, her student. It seemed very possible that telling her now might only hurt or embarrass her, even if he did reciprocate her interest. He sighed as he typed out his response behind the mask of Tatsuya. "So what will you do?"

Maya was dejected. "Probably nothing. It's too risky…"

"Seriously, Maya. Don't waste this chance. You don't fall for someone every day." Tatsuya gave her an encouraging smile. "You're more than charming enough to win him over. Maybe he's already interested."

She blinked and looked at him in surprise, then smiled wistfully. "You're really something, Tatsuya. I wish we knew each other in real life." She reflected sadly. "...I'll give it a try. Maybe…" her nerves came through clearly even in text. "It's a very scary prospect."

"Trust me, Maya. He won't turn you down."

A quiet settled between them as they seemed to run out of things to say, and after several minutes they decided to resume their gaming. They parted an hour later, and Minato logged out with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"How am I going to do this…?"


	5. Chapter 5: Pursuit

Toriumi's dreams that night were filled with a conflicting mixture of anxiety and anticipation, the two emotions warring with and fueling each other in a dramatic re-interpretation of the last few weeks of her life. She dreamed of Minato and Tatsuya; of her years in school, her desire to teach and understand; and she dreamed of rejection and loneliness, of returning to the life of apathy she'd slowly slipped into before this semester.

Toriumi woke up. She was calm, a fact which surprised her, and she stayed in bed for several minutes as she mentally went over the events of last night. She'd admitted to her feelings for Minato. She'd avoided her feelings for Tatsuya. That had been her choice.

 _Why did you pick him? He's your student. You'll just end up alienating Tatsuya and get yourself fired in the process._

She tried to shake off her doubts, to ignore them, but they were persistent, persuasive. _You've spent your whole life alone by choice. You chose your career before everyone else. You're not experienced enough to make a choice like this. This will end in disaster. You…_

She growled in frustration at her relentless self-doubt, forcing the thoughts into the back of her mind as she focused on nothing for a few moments. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths until she was sure she could control herself, then got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

Again she ended up looking at herself in the mirror, reminded every time of her age slowly creeping up on her to claim the last remnants of her youth. She didn't want to put on makeup. She _had_ to…

After a great deal of worry and vexing over her appearance and her choices, Toriumi managed to get herself ready and out the door. She slowly laid out plans to approach Minato. Things she could say, ways she could appeal to him… though her doubts nagged at her every step of the way, she felt like she had a plan that could work.

To her surprise, she encountered Minato almost immediately upon arriving at Gekkoukan, where he appeared to be waiting outside the gate for someone or something. He gave her a smile as she approached. "Good morning, Miss Toriumi." He said politely.

 _This is your chance! You're off school grounds! Ask him now!_

"Good morning, Minato." She said instead, returning the smile and walking past him while internally she screamed at herself for her cowardice. She glanced back over her shoulder as she approached the front door, and briefly caught his eyes following her with a confused expression on his face.

Homeroom went by quickly. Minato showed up five minutes early. Again, she recognized the chance. Again, she simply smiled at him while passing by on the way to her podium to prepare for class. _What are you doing…?_ She asked herself miserably while going over the morning announcements to her class.

Composition class came around. Her last chance for the day. She'd promised herself she'd tell him… Again, Minato was early. Again she ignored the chance, focusing on her lecture. By the end of it she felt nothing but shame while her students packed up their things and started heading to their next classes.

As she stared at her podium, a voice to her left suddenly caught her attention. "Miss Toriumi?"

She'd heard him say that so many times now… "Yes, Minato?" She asked as she turned to face him, carefully schooling her expression into neutrality. "How can I help you?"

Minato looked a little nervous. It was an odd expression to see on him, and she frowned as he apparently thought over his words. "Would you mind… tutoring me? I want to be ready, really ready for finals next month."

She blinked for a moment as she processed this. Tutoring? Minato? He was perhaps the only student in her class who was already likely to ace her final. _Who cares? Do it! Time alone with Minato! So many chances!_ The last three words echoed in her mother's voice, and she shuddered. This really was a perfect opportunity…

"I'm sorry, Minato, but I'm very busy. I don't have time to tutor you…" her face had returned to its neutral expression as she spoke, and she patted him on the shoulder. "You're a star student. You'll do fine." She finished, before turning to grab her papers from her podium.

"B-but, Miss Toriumi…" he protested quietly as she turned and walked past him to the door.

"Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, Minato."

Toriumi sat in the faculty office ten minutes later, head hung over her desk as she wallowed in shame and self-pity. _I couldn't do it… every time,_ _ **every**_ _time… "what if he says no? What if he thinks I'm a freak?"_ Her dark reverie was only broken when someone across the room spoke up. "Miss Toriumi… Are you alright?" She blinked as she looked up at the source of the voice, Mrs. Terauchi. She was younger than Toriumi, and was very willing to flaunt it, sporting fashionable, girly clothes every day that only just met the school's standards. On a good day, Toriumi and Terauchi were friends. On a bad day, they'd argue nonstop. Today, however, seemed to be one of their good days, and Terauchi wore an expression of genuine concern as she stared at her co-worker.

Toriumi frowned as she stared back at Terauchi, absolutely certain that she wouldn't be able to explain the true nature of her problem. After a moment she replied, "I guess I'm feeling… lonely, lately."

Terauchi frowned. "Ah, I'm sorry to hear that."

Toriumi frowned right back at her for a moment before a thought popped into her head. "Mrs. Terauchi, if you don't mind my asking… how did you meet your husband?"

The younger woman perked up immediately at the change of subject. She loved talking about her husband, and everyone on the staff knew it. "Oh, I haven't told you? It's a wonderful tale! We met five years ago while I was touring Spain. We were young and wild and exploring ourselves… it was love at first sight." She sighed dreamily as she apparently thought back to it. "We got married a year later. Unfortunately, we don't get to see each other very often, due to his missionary work… but we always make time for one another whenever we can." She finished, apparently not too bothered by the distance.

"Thanks." Toriumi replied simply, and Terauchi seemed satisfied, grabbing a stack of papers and rising to leave the office with a wave goodbye. Toriumi was left alone with her thoughts again. Travel. Youth. Self-exploration. She'd given that all up. Why did her passions have to haunt her so?

Toriumi returned home late that night. She went to the pantry to fill a glass from a new blue bottle, quickly downed it, and was about to go straight to bed when she noticed her laptop had been left on, the power lights blinking slowly. With a sigh she sat down with intention of turning it off, only to pause after the screen came to life. She'd received a message from Tatsuya.

"How did it go?"

She frowned miserably, and for a moment she considered turning the laptop off anyways. She heaved a sigh as she inevitably changed her mind and began typing. "I couldnt do it, im a loser and a coward :("

"You're not a coward or a loser, Maya."

Toriumi felt a surge of irrational anger. Why was he defending her? She chose someone else over him and then couldn't even follow through. "I *am*, tatsu, im horrible. I left u out in the cold 4 this and then chickened out…"

"Maya…" She felt like her heart was going to break at that one word, the disappointment and sadness it carried. She couldn't say anything in reply, and there was silence for a few minutes as she simply sat there and fought the urge to cry.

"Maya… how do you feel about me?" She blinked. She hadn't expected to receive another message. Her cheeks grew warm as she considered how she could respond. _Should I be honest? I might scare him off..._ the train of doubts started on its way again, and before they could hurt her any more she started typing again. _Fuck it._

"I love you, Tatsuya."

Another long silence. She felt her heart race, and the doubts started to return in full force. She felt her eyes starting to well up with tears as she stared down at her lap, and one single teardrop spilled over her cheek before a ping alerted her to a new message.

"I love you too, Maya. I really do." Toriumi's breath caught in her throat, and a shiver ran down her spine. Now the tears rolled down her cheeks unrestrained. Beneath them, she smiled weakly. Slowly she calmed down and set her fingers on the keys once more.

"Thank you, Tatsu… I needed that more than I realized." She sent the message, then hesitated. She wasn't sure what else to say. She never anticipated someone would say all this to her, let alone make her feel the same way. Perhaps if they were not separated by this digital gap, she would know what to say… "...What do we do now, though? :( We're apart. I don't have time to leave home and I don't want to inconvenience you with the trip…"

"Meet me, Maya. I'll come to you." Another shiver, this time stronger than the first.

"I'm not worth it…" She protested feebly. She wanted to meet him more than anything, but a part of her was always worried she'd be a disappointment. Could she really live up to the expectations she set as "Maya"?

"Please, Maya. Let me be the judge of that. Give me this chance. I love you." She bit her lip as indecision tore at her. She remembered her discussion with Terauchi. All the opportunities she'd passed up, and all the regrets she'd accumulated.

She set her fingers on the keys again. "Okay, Tatsuya. Let's meet… :)"

Together, they planned.


	6. Chapter 6: Realization

For the first Sunday morning in several weeks, Minato was quick to get out of bed. He paced around his room, the hour so early that sunlight hadn't even begun to shine through the window. His mind raced.

 _Today's the day. You've got everything planned. It's going to be fine._ He wasn't used to feeling uncertain. He'd always been adaptable and strong in the face of change. Few people had ever seen him nervous. But now… now he was sweating, and he leaned against the wall as he thought through his plan again. "It's going to be okay… It's going to be okay…" He muttered to himself quietly, until he felt his heartbeat settle down and his breathing relax.

He considered the idea of breakfast, but the butterflies in his stomach had apparently eaten his appetite when they moved in. Instead, he opened his laptop and began browsing through his chat history with Maya. His eyes scanned up and down as they went over weeks of discussion, joking and heartfelt admission. Then he reached the end of the chat log. They'd promised to meet. She would be waiting for him today. He felt his doubts melt away, leaving behind the resolve he'd leaned upon for so many years to get by. This time, it would bring him happiness instead of simply getting him through the day.

He rose and headed over to his dresser to get dressed for the day. He looked himself in the mirror for a long moment before heading out.

* * *

Toriumi awoke similarly early, and immediately she felt anxiety clutching at the muscles in her chest. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes as she contemplated just how many ways today could go wrong for her. It had to be perfect…

She rose and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Then she put on makeup. Then she made up her hair, and spent thirty minutes deciding on a dress to wear. It was when she was filing her nails that she realized she was simply delaying. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself as her fears tried their damndest to wrench her security from her.

 _I give you so many opportunities and you continue to let them fly by._

 _You should be able to do what you want. That's the only way people can be happy!_

 _Unfortunately, we don't get to see each other very often… but we always make time for one another whenever we can._

She'd heard from so many people in so many ways that she needed to take the opportunities given to her. She would not run away from what she wanted anymore, even if it scared her.

 _I love you too, Maya. I really do._

She got up and headed out the door.

Toriumi arrived at Port Island Station as the sun was beginning to rise. In the early morning chill, few people were out and about, especially given the propensity of local students to sleep in during the weekends. She shivered a little as she walked past the closed shops surrounding the plaza, before walking up the stairs to the entrance to the train platforms. There were a few benches scattered near the ticket machines, and she glanced around slowly for anyone else. There was only one other person there, and she didn't recognize him right away out of uniform.

"Minato?" She called to him curiously as she closed the distance to the bench where he sat. He glanced up at her from his phone with a look of surprise, the blue hood of his hoodie falling back.

"Miss Toriumi!" He said pleasantly, and she could hear a note of excitement in his voice as he grinned at her. "It's good to see you!"

She frowned as she glanced around the plaza, still seeing nobody. She supposed Tatsuya's train would have to arrive eventually. "Thanks, Minato." She said as she looked back at her star student once more, returning his smile. It was odd - out here, away from the school grounds, it was much easier to see him as something other than a student. "Do you mind if I sit here?" She gestured to the seat on the bench next to him.

"Not at all." He replied, as he swept out a hand in a welcoming gesture, and she sat down beside him with a grateful nod.

They sat together in silence for several minutes, before the sound of a train arriving drew her eyes to the tunnel where those disembarking would emerge. A small group of people exited the tunnel a few seconds later, but all of them seemed to be headed somewhere else. A moment later she was alone with Minato again. "Are you waiting for someone, too?" he asked, off to one side.

"Ah… yes." She admitted. "Though… I don't really know what he looks like, to be honest." she felt her cheeks redden as she realized just how little she had to go on.

"I'm sure he'll show up." Minato said reassuringly. "I'm waiting for a girl, myself."

 _So I was barking up the wrong tree all along, after all…_ she mused sadly, glad that she had at least avoided embarrassing herself further by asking him out. "Really? You're meeting a girl at the train station? Aren't you a little young for that?" She replied with a small smile.

"Actually, she's from around here. We just agreed to meet here, is all." Toriumi frowned, the situation sounding a little strange to her. She almost thought to object, but Minato kept going. "I really can't wait to see her. She's charming, funny, intelligent and beautiful... She's everything I've ever wanted." Toriumi nodded slowly, her mind racing. Minato didn't talk like this. He was up to something. She saw him turn his head to look at her out of the corner of her eye, and she turned and met his eyes as he finished speaking. "Her name is Maya."

Everything suddenly clicked as she stared into Minato's eyes, and his smile widened as he watched her figure it out. She suddenly felt light-headed. "N-no… no way…" Everything seemed surreal. "Y-you're…?" He nodded slowly, expectantly.

"Tatsuya…" Her voice broke on the last syllable as she felt the tears welling up again, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She saw his face slowly change from joy to concern, and after a moment of hesitation his arms encircled her and pulled her close, into a hug. She didn't fight it, resting her head on his shoulder as she cried in joy, confusion and hurt. "W-why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

His voice was a little shaky as it came to her from near her right ear, and she realized he must be close to crying too. "I was afraid, too… at first I didn't know who you were, then I didn't know if I deserved you…" He sighed, and she could feel it in his chest as she leaned against it. "All dumb excuses, I know. I'm sorry… can you ever forgive me?" he pleaded, his voice remarkably quiet by the end.

Slowly, she managed to halt her crying and pushed away from his chest to look him in the eyes again. She could see the worry in his expression. He knew he could be rejected right then and there, have all his hopes shattered - yet still he had come, still he was there, waiting for her reply. She knew that feeling of crushing doubt and anxiety, and she smiled at him as she came to her answer.

"Of course I can forgive you… Didn't I already tell you I loved you?" The words were liberating to say at last, and the smile that lit his face when she said them made her heart sing.

"I love you too… Isako." A blush crossed her face as he used her first name, and she giggled as she saw red forming on his cheeks too.

"Minato…" she said softly as she leaned close and captured his lips with hers, grateful now for the emptiness of the plaza in the early morning.

Everything made sense to her now.

Tatsuya was Minato. Minato was Tatsuya.

No matter how they met, she would have fallen for him, and she was blissful in her understanding as she felt him return her feelings through their kiss.

They parted after several long moments, both of them red-faced and breathing a little more heavily than before. She looked down at the space between them as he gently took her hand in his. "This will be difficult, you know. I'm a lot older than you." She warned him. It hurt to say, but she had to give him the chance.

"I know. I don't care." He said as he briefly squeezed her fingers. "You taught me how to fight through adversity, in more ways than one. I'm ready for the road ahead."

Her cheeks hurt from smiling, and she had to stop herself from crying again as she nodded. "Then I'll walk it with you to the end."

They left the station together.


	7. Epilogue

_Author's note: the main story kind of flew by, so I thought I'd give myself a little more to do by writing out some fluffy epilogue material. I may add more in the future._

Minato felt sweat beading on his brow as he dodged another strike. He ducked under one more before lunging at his attacker, sword poised to pierce through them. The razor-sharp tip found only air, however, as his target blurred away faster than he could react. He cursed under his breath, looking around for them but seeing nothing. Suddenly, without warning, they appeared behind him. He dove forward, anticipating their strike at the last moment, but he wasn't quite fast enough as a sweeping strike clipped his legs and sent him tumbling to the floor. He struggled to rise as he heard them approach, but he knew it was too late as he turned his head to see their sword descending towards him…

"Cmon tatsu, i kno u can do bettr than that :P"

Minato sighed as the words "You Lose" flashed across the screen in large red letters, and his fingers rattled away at the keyboard. "That disappearing move is so unfair!" He complained.

He knew she would be laughing to herself on the other side of the screen. "So mayb its a lil silly. But a win is a win! ;)"

Innocent Sin Online had shut down a week ago due to lack of customers, and in the wake of its closure Minato and "Maya" had been exploring other games to play together on the days they couldn't meet. This had quickly led Minato to an uncomfortable (but perhaps not unexpected) realization.

She was _kicking his ass._ Just how long had she been playing games like this online? He had thought he'd have an advantage in this fighting game when he saw the rapier-wielding character he'd since been playing - after all, he used one in real life often enough when fighting the shadows. But it was gradually dawning on him that the skills involved didn't translate very well to mouse and keyboard as he racked up his fifth loss in a row. "I never imagined you would be so powerful." He joked as he nursed his wounded pride.

"Thats wat u get 4 underestimating me!" She declared, and he could just picture her grinning proudly at her uninterrupted string of victories. "Wanna go again? ^^"

Minato frowned as he glanced at his clock. 10:39 PM. He knew he should probably be getting ready for bed. After all, he could probably guess how the next game would go… but part of him objected. _Where's your fighting spirit? Show her not to mess with the great Tatsuya!_ "I sound like Maya now…" He mused as he wondered if he was being infected by her unshakeable enthusiasm. His fingers quickly tapped out another message. "Okay, one more. I'll get you this time."

He lost again, and somehow, he didn't mind at all.

* * *

Spring finals were a week away, and between Minato's studying and her prep for the next semester, Miss Toriumi found herself with less time than ever to spend with him. Mr. Ekoda was on her every day with demands for updates on her course plans, and by Saturday she felt like she could sleep through the entirety of finals week. She got home later than usual again, and was quick to head to the kitchen for the comfort of her usual drink. She stared at the glass as she sat on the couch, idly wondering if she had a problem as it quickly emptied over the next few minutes. If she did, it certainly wasn't getting solved this week.

She booted up her laptop, and frowned as she saw Tatsuya offline again. He'd been around so little this week. She couldn't blame him, really; life as a student with finals coming up could be hectic, and she herself was busy enough that she probably wasn't giving him many opportunities to contact her anyways. She set her glass down as she stared at the chat log. Tomorrow was Sunday. She probably wouldn't see him again during finals week. An idea slowly formed in her head, and she typed out a message for him. He would see it the next time he logged on. With a yawn, she realized it was time for her to get to bed. She silently hoped he'd get back to her as she made her way to the bedroom to end her night.

* * *

Minato sat at his desk the following morning, staring down at a textbook. Normally he was good about studying, but the grind for finals week was really wearing him down, and he felt his eyes wandering. Eventually they settled on his laptop for a long moment, and as they drifted back to the textbook, he noticed he'd been staring at the same two pages for the last 10 minutes. _Okay. Time for a break, then._ He thought to himself as he marked his place and set the book aside, before pulling his laptop over to the center of the desk. Maybe he could catch Maya on for a bit, if she wasn't busy. He smiled as the screen came to life and quickly revealed a new message from her, but his brow furrowed in confusion as he read through it.

"Hey! Meet me in front of the school 2day? I have a surprise 4 u."

He frowned. It was tempting, but… "I kinda need to study…" he protested somewhat weakly. He knew she could convince him if she wanted to.

It didn't take her long to respond. He guessed she'd been waiting for him. "Dw, Ill help u study 2. Pls? Itll b fun. :)"

He sighed inwardly, but couldn't help smiling. She was so hard to say no to. "Okay. I'll do it. I need a break, anyways…"

"Woohoo! ^^ okay, meet me there in an hour!" She replied, and promptly signed off.

Minato wondered what he was getting into as he signed out and rose to put his things away.

* * *

Toriumi sat on the lawn in front of the school as she waited, her nerves gnawing at her just a little bit. She sat on a checkered blanket spread out over the grass, and beside her sat a picnic basket. She wasn't entirely sure what he liked, so she'd stocked it with mostly simple foods. As she waited, she looked around at the school grounds and the parking lot. Empty. Nobody ever came here when they didn't have to. She smiled as she mused that the place where she and Minato usually had to be the most careful could also become one of the places where they could be most carefree.

Minato arrived a few minutes later, and she could see the amusement on his face as he caught sight of her surprise. "Wow. I like it." He said simply as he sat down beside her on the blanket, looking around at their quiet surroundings. "Hey." He added as he turned and smiled at her.

"Hey…" she felt her cheeks heat a little as she returned his greeting. She was supremely comfortable while in her element online, but she was still getting used to being alone with him in person. Here, his charm and good looks hit her unrestrained, and it left her a little flustered as she tried to get her thoughts in order. "So, I thought of a way to help you study!" She announced, willing herself to stop blushing.

His smile grew. "Straight to business, hm? You aren't going to offer me something to eat first?" He joked.

She laughed softly and shook her head as she grinned mischievously at him. "I am a teacher first and foremost, Minato. Like the good grade you want, you'll have to earn your meal!"

It was Minato's turn to laugh. "More motivation is always good."

Toriumi pondered for a moment before she turned to him. "Who wrote _To Kill a Mockingbird_?"

Minato was quiet for a moment before he responded. "Harper Lee?"

She nodded approvingly at his answer as she reached into the basket and pulled out an apple, handing it to him. "Correct!"

He accepted the apple with another smile. "Thanks. I'm off to a good start."

"Don't get overconfident!" She warned him. "Give me an example of past perfect tense."

He winked at her. "That's easy. ' _I had thought this quiz would be tough, but it turned out to be simple._ '" He replied teasingly.

Toriumi pouted as she reached into the basket and pulled out a bottle of tea, handing that to him as well. "I've gone easy on you so far. But can you tell me what my favorite piece of classical music is?"

Minato was surprised for a moment before his look of amusement returned. "Is that going to be on the test?" He shook his head. "I don't know. Beethoven's 5th?"

She smiled triumphantly. "Incorrect! It's actually Pachelbel's Canon."

He set his foodstuffs aside as he raised his hands in defeat, chuckling at her excitement. "Looks like you got me, then. What happens now?"

"Now, you give something to me!" She replied, and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on his lips. She lingered for a long moment as she enjoyed the way his lips moved against hers, clearly just as enthusiastic, before pulling away with her cheeks a little red again. "That concludes the quiz."

"That was pretty short…" he commented, though by his tone he didn't seem to be complaining.

She smirked at him. "Believe it or not, Minato, I didn't really call you here to study." She leaned on his shoulder as she spoke, and they ate together in relative silence for a few minutes.

When they were finished, she sat up again, staring at him. He gave her a quizzical look, and in response she heaved a sigh and leaned back to lie down on the blanket, looking up at the sky. "This was nice."

He stared down at her for a moment before following suit, lying on the blanket next to her. "Yeah. We don't get to do things like this very often."

She frowned a little at the thought, and turned her head to one side to look at him, her cheek resting against the blanket. "Does that bother you?"

He continued gazing skywards for a few seconds before turning to meet her eyes. "I guess. I hate not being able to see you, but I understand why we have to be careful."

"Maybe, but… are you happy? It can't feel good to be with someone you can only see so occasionally." She realized this thought had been bothering her all week. He'd told her before that it wasn't a problem, but part of her still worried.

He nodded vigorously. "Of course I am. I love you, regardless of how much I get to see you. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be in high school forever…"

"I love you too…" she replied, and she meant it, but she couldn't keep the frown off her face.

Minato was quiet for a moment, finding his words, before he spoke up again with a serious expression on his face. "Isako… please don't doubt me when I say this. Each time I see you smile or hear you laugh, I know it's worth every second we have to spend apart. Everything about you makes me happy. I'd rather have you than anyone else, no matter how often I might see them." His fingers wove between hers as he took her hand while he spoke.

She blushed harder than ever at his words, and she could see in his expression that he meant every word he said. "You really are the best thing that ever could've happened to me, Minato…" she admitted softly as she felt herself smile again.

He smiled back at her, and they stayed there for a long while, comfortable in the morning sun. It would be a good summer.


End file.
